Can you see satellites? - Page 1

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Can you see satellites?

Posted: 6/17/2018 11:59:24 AM EDT

Was watching the sky last night with my PVS 14 and saw two objects moving overhead in a straight line and steady speed. No lights, and you couldn’t have seen it with the naked eye. Satellites or aliens?

Posted: 6/17/2018 12:02:33 PM EDT

[#1]

Definetely aliens......

They were satellites.

Posted: 6/17/2018 12:06:56 PM EDT

[#2]

Yup, you can see lower orbit satellites. I've watched the ISS go overhead a few times, and....even the Shuttle!

Posted: 6/17/2018 12:25:06 PM EDT

[#3]

http://spaceweather.com/flybys/

Posted: 6/17/2018 12:25:59 PM EDT

[#4]

Satellite AR app for Android phones is what you seek. Lots of possibly visible passes every day!

Posted: 6/17/2018 1:20:35 PM EDT

[#5]

You can see all sorts of things, like out of control jumbling space junk / old satellites. Depending on the angles between the sun, you and the whatever shiny thing, determines whether it'll be visible. There are even some geosynchronous satellites / junk that spin and are visible sometimes as blinking stationary points.

Posted: 6/17/2018 1:23:42 PM EDT

[#6]

Arfcom... I'm so disapointed! Why so slow with the proper answer.

Posted: 6/17/2018 2:17:45 PM EDT

[#7]

Decent binoculars will show oodles of them.

Most, I would guess are 7th or 8th magnitude that you see in binoculars.

Posted: 6/17/2018 2:26:25 PM EDT

[#8]

Yep, used to see satellites all the time when we would just lay on the ground and look up w/ NVDs. The night sky is incredible when it is clear, gen 3 makes it 100 times better.

Posted: 6/17/2018 4:47:49 PM EDT

[#9]

Absolutely, It is crazy when you are out to sea far enough in blackout condition on a ship. Newbies on watch reporting an air contact crazy high, take a look smh quit reporting the communication satellites.

Posted: 6/18/2018 11:34:42 AM EDT

[#10]

I've seen lots of satellites but never any that had no lights on them.

Posted: 6/18/2018 11:40:16 AM EDT

[#11]

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I've seen lots of satellites but never any that had no lights on them.

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Satellites that have lights on them are usually called "airplanes".

Posted: 6/18/2018 2:54:14 PM EDT

[#12]

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Satellites that have lights on them are usually called "airplanes".

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I guess you're right, especially if the lights are blinking. But I guess satellites reflect the sun's light at times.

Posted: 6/18/2018 3:05:16 PM EDT

[#13]

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Quoted:

I guess you're right, especially if the lights are blinking. But I guess satellites reflect the sun's light at times.

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That they do, most of the satellites I have seen are just reflecting sunlight to some degree. I have seen some that seem to have a VERY faint pulsing light on them though, and they appear at regular intervals in the same section of the sky.

Posted: 6/18/2018 3:12:46 PM EDT

[#14]

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Quoted:
That they do, most of the satellites I have seen are just reflecting sunlight to some degree. I have seen some that seem to have a VERY faint pulsing light on them though, and they appear at regular intervals in the same section of the sky.

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Quoted:

Quoted:

I guess you're right, especially if the lights are blinking. But I guess satellites reflect the sun's light at times.

That they do, most of the satellites I have seen are just reflecting sunlight to some degree. I have seen some that seem to have a VERY faint pulsing light on them though, and they appear at regular intervals in the same section of the sky.

I believe that the ISS has lights.

ETA: ...for docking. I don't know if you can see them or not. They would have to be pretty damn bright.

Posted: 6/18/2018 3:31:22 PM EDT

[#15]

Yes. I live in the high desert. It's dark and very clear most of the time. Satellites look like a star that is moving across the sky. The sun reflecting off of them is why you can see them. When they move into the shadow of the earth you can't see them any longer.

I saw the space station at least once. It was brighter than the usual satellite. There is a website where you can track the space station so you know if/when it will be visible in your area.

Posted: 6/18/2018 3:44:16 PM EDT

[#16]

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Quoted:
That they do, most of the satellites I have seen are just reflecting sunlight to some degree. I have seen some that seem to have a VERY faint pulsing light on them though, and they appear at regular intervals in the same section of the sky.

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Already mentioned. Disabled rotating geosynchronous communication sats.

Posted: 6/18/2018 3:45:14 PM EDT

[#17]

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Quoted:

That they do, most of the satellites I have seen are just reflecting sunlight to some degree. I have seen some that seem to have a VERY faint pulsing light on them though, and they appear at regular intervals in the same section of the sky.

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I am in the belief that these are spinning on purpose or are old junk. Why would a satellite have a light unless it was some sort of a laser for communications (and probably not pointed at you unless you are into some quite special stuff)

Posted: 6/18/2018 5:53:05 PM EDT

[#18]

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Quoted:

Already mentioned. Disabled rotating geosynchronous communication sats.

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The ones I am referring to are very much not geosynchronous, they are moving in a predictable orbit just like the ones that don't have the pulsing light. They appear at regular intervals in the same section of sky the same night but are moving. I've never seen one that was stationary like you are describing but that would make sense for one in geosynchronous orbit. Watching the night sky turned out to be a fringe benefit of NVD ownership that I never saw coming.

Posted: 6/18/2018 10:42:04 PM EDT

[#19]

This website is your friend https://www.heavens-above.com/
Just put in your location and it’ll show you all kinds of passes and where to look. Be sure and check out Iridium Flares, they are pretty cool. I have a time lapse video I shotnwih my phone looking through my PVS14 the other day of the ISS than was very impressive.

Posted: 6/18/2018 11:07:25 PM EDT

[#20]

Hell, backpacking in ID with my buds we sat on a rock and counted dozens of 'em with the naked eye. Don't need no steenkin' NVG...but I'll never admit that.

Posted: 6/19/2018 8:04:11 AM EDT

[#21]

How many you can see with the naked eye depends on how much light pollution there is, how dirty the atmosphere is at the time, clouds, sun angle, moon phase, etc, etc.. Some days you can stare up and not see any (but they are still out there, lots of them) and some days you see a bunch. Most I've counted in one night was 27 while up on Wolf Creek CO doing some turkey hunting/camping, this was pre having NVGs, so naked eye.

Posted: 6/20/2018 1:56:31 AM EDT

[#22]

i have seen a blinking satellite once - one bright flash followed by three weaker flashes and so on.
i guess it was a box shaped object with one highly reflective side.
it was not geostationary.

Posted: 6/20/2018 5:41:16 AM EDT

[#23]

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i have seen a blinking satellite once - one bright flash followed by three weaker flashes and so on.
i guess it was a box shaped object with one highly reflective side.
it was not geostationary.

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Same here. They seem to come in all shapes and forms, and spinning in various rates. Some bright, some dim, some give out multiple different level flashes, some geostationary and blinking in various ways, and everything in between.

Never thought of it, but now that I think about it I guess living up North makes more satellites visible due to the Sun not setting down that much -> more satellites not in the shadow of the Earth from my location / point of view.

Posted: 6/20/2018 6:34:52 AM EDT

[#24]

Only at dawn and dusk or close to it. You are seeing the sunlight reflecting off the solar arrays and at midnight they are completely in the shadow.

Posted: 6/23/2018 5:53:57 AM EDT

[#25]

When I was stationed in MT, we would pull long shifts out in the missile field guarding launch facilities. I remember one night in particular, I got bored and pulled out my issued PVS-14 and looked up at the sky. I remember focusing on marveling at the stars and the milky way, but I can also clearly recall seeing more than one satellite. I also saw a couple during a recent ground combat course outside of San Antonio (Camp Bullis). Was pulling security overnight during our field exercise and saw two with the naked eye.

Posted: 6/23/2018 10:44:46 AM EDT

[#26]

You can also see a multitude of meteorites that you wouldn't normally notice if you watch long enough. If you take your time scanning the sky, you can see all kinda of stuff. The first time I introduce folks to NV, I take them outside to look up at the stars. The reaction is always the same: Holy Shit!

Posted: 6/23/2018 11:38:54 AM EDT

[#27]

yes I can satellite all the time w a naked eye . Clear nite of course

Posted: 6/24/2018 8:52:00 PM EDT

[#28]

Quote History

Quoted:
..... There is a website where you can track the space station so you know if/when it will be visible in your area.

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Heavens Above.

Posted: 6/24/2018 8:52:44 PM EDT

[#29]

Yes. Yes you can.

Posted: 6/24/2018 8:55:28 PM EDT

[#30]

I regularly point out entire galaxies and nebulae to others. it's easier with dark skies, like out in the desert

Posted: 6/24/2018 9:14:14 PM EDT

[#31]

Even without night vision if you get away from light pollution you can see all kinds of stuff.

Satellites show up best when the sun is shining around the earth but it is dark on the ground. Pretty cool stuff.

Posted: 6/25/2018 4:17:31 PM EDT

[#32]

Whats that glowing patch of sky that looks like a comet I see in the NE. It's not the same as anything else. I think it may be Niburu.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Can you see satellites?

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